The appointment of Ronald L. Esquerra as his executive assistant was announced today by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson. Esquerra 29, is an enrolled member of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe.
"Ron has an impressive record of achievement," the Commissioner said. "He will be working very closely with me and will be a valuable asset for the Bureau and for Indian people."
The duties of the new executive assistant will include coordination of activities of the Commissioner's immediate staff, supervision of the appointment schedule and liaison with other agencies and offices.
Esquerra was the Indian Field Officer in Phoenix, Arizona for the Office of Minority Business Enterprise. .In this capacity he managed federal contracts and provided program assistance to Indian contractors in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada. He had previously worked in the Economic Development Administration as Deputy Special Assistant for Indian Affairs to the Assistant Secretary.
As a Ford Foundation Leadership Development Fellow in 1970-71, Esquerra worked in numerous Federal, state and tribal Indian programs. While completing graduate work at Arizona State University, he was also Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Arizona State Indian Community Action Program. Esquerra majored in Business Management at Brigham Young University where he graduated with honors in 1966. After a two-year stint in military service he earned a Masters in Business Administration at Arizona State.
He is perhaps the only Indian to complete the certification program of the American Mortgage Bankers Association. Esquerra grew up on the Colorado River Indian Reservation. In 1973 he was listed in the publication Outstanding Young Americans.
